Staphylococcus aureus is able to rapidly develop mechanisms of resistance to various drugs and to form strong biofilms, which makes it necessary to develop new antibacterial drugs. The essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia is used as an antibacterial, a property believed to be mainly due to the presence of terpinen-4-ol. Based on this, the objective of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial and antibiofilm potential of terpinen-4-ol against S. aureus. The Minimal Inhibitory and Minimal Bactericidal Concentrations (MIC and MBC) of terpinen-4-ol were determined, and the effect of its combination with antibacterial drugs as well as its activity against S. aureus biofilms were evaluated. In addition, an in silico analysis of its pharmacokinetic parameters and a molecular docking analysis were performed. Terpinen-4-ol presented a MIC of 0.25% (v/v) and an MBC of 0.5% (v/v) (bactericidal action); its association with antibacterials was also effective. Terpinen-4-ol has good antibiofilm activity, and the in silico results indicated adequate absorption and distribution of the molecule in vivo. Molecular docking indicated that penicillin-binding protein 2a is a possible target of terpinen-4-ol in S. aureus. This work highlights the good potential of terpinen-4-ol as an antibacterial product and provides support for future pharmacological studies of this molecule, aiming at its therapeutic application.
The increase in Staphylococcus aureus resistance to conventional antibacterials and persistent infections related to biofilms, as well as the low availability of new antibacterial drugs, has made the development of new therapeutic alternatives necessary. Medicinal plants are one of the main sources of bioactive molecules and myrtenol is a natural product with several biological activities, although its antimicrobial activity is little explored. Based on this, the objective of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of myrtenol against S. aureus, determining the minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations (MIC and MBC), investigating the possible molecular target through the analysis of molecular docking. It also aimed to evaluate the effect of its combination with antibacterial drugs and its activity against S. aureus biofilms, in addition to performing an in silico analysis of its pharmacokinetic parameters. Myrtenol showed MIC and MBC of 128 µg/mL (bactericidal action) and probably acts by interfering with the synthesis of the bacterial cell wall. The effects of the association with antibacterials demonstrate favorable results. Myrtenol has remarkable antibiofilm activity and in silico results indicate a good pharmacokinetic profile, which make myrtenol a potential drug candidate for the treatment of infections caused by S. aureus.
The first occurrences and dissemination of resistant microorganisms led to the inefficacy of many antibiotics, available in the market nowadays, therefore, the search for new substances with antimicrobial activity from natural sources has gained a great importance. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the antibacterial activity and modulation of drug resistance in Staphylococcus aureus by coumarins such as bergapten, xantotoxin, isopimpinellin and imperatorin obtained from two Rutaceae species (Metrodorea mollis and Pilocarpus spicatus). The antimicrobial activity was assessed based on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), using the microdilution method. The MIC was >256 g/mL for all coumarins tested. Regarding the modulation of drug resistance assay, the isopimpinellin reducted the MIC of erytromicin by 4 times, whereas imperatorin exhibited the best result, reducing the MIC of tetracycline (2 times), erytomicin (4 times) and norfloxacin (4 times). By reducing the MIC of ethidium bromide, the imperatorin is consider in fact, as a putative efflux pump inhibitor of bacteria.
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